


I, Elaine Take Thee Jerry

by iloveromance



Category: Seinfeld
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-18 16:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21580576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveromance/pseuds/iloveromance
Summary: An unexpected proposal turns Elaine's dull but comfortable world upside down. And just when she makes a startling revelation, her life takes an unexpected turn. (Episode:"The Serenity Now")
Relationships: Elaine Benes/Jerry Seinfeld
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Elaine had never been more disgusted. She'd already been kissed by that creepy kid Adam at his bar mitzvah, as well as Mr. Lippmann. What else must she endure? And she was a shiska! Well, no more. Adam and Mr. Lippmann could take their shiskas and put them where the sun doesn't shine.

Damn, she should have known this would happen. She'd never find the right guy, never. And she'd be single for the rest of her life! She used to be okay with that but now that it was becoming reality, she didn't like it one bit.

Damn…

She was still fuming when she arrived at Jerry's apartment. She wanted scream, to get her feelings out and forget that this whole thing ever happened. She could do that around Jerry. He would understand. He always understood, even when she didn't. Sometimes she couldn't stand him, but she also knew that she didn't know what she'd do without him.

With a smile on her face, she pushed the intercom button.

"Yeah?" His tinny voice called through the speaker.

"It's me."

"Come on up."  
She reached his door in record time and walked right through as though she were his roommate. He looked up immediately when he saw her.

"Hey Jerome."

"Hey yourself, Ben-." He paused and looked at her seriously. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing. I-oh hell, I'll just say it. Jerry, I'm a shiska!"

"And that's bad because-."

She smirked and put her hands on her hips. "You don't even know what a shiska is, do you?"

"Do you?"

She thought for a moment and shrugged. "Not really, but Jerry, it was disgusting! I was kissed by a thirteen year old and a disgusting man! And not just any man! Mr. Lippmann!"

"Everyone should be so lucky!" Jerry quipped.

Elaine tried to remain annoyed but she couldn't help but laugh. Somehow no matter how ticked off she was, Jerry always knew how to make her smile.

"So, you're in a good mood, especially since you broke up with Patty." Elaine observed. "If you ask me, you were too good for her! She-"

"Elaine-."

He was gazing at her with a look she didn't quite understand.

"Jerry, what are you looking at?"

He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Sit down Elaine."

Oh no…. Not this again… She'd had more than enough of his uncharacteristic sob story over breaking up with Patty, whom he claimed was the love of his life. And just when she thought things were back to normal, the look on his face returned.

"Oh no, Jerry Please don't cry again. I can't take it." She pleaded.

"I've been thinking about what it means to be complete." He said, rather poetically.

She let go of his hand and rose to her feet, making a beeline for the kitchen. "Got any fruit in here?" She asked, peering into his refrigerator.

"Elaine-."

Happy to be off the subject of love as she spotted the object of her desire on the counter. ""Ah, here we are Ba-na-na!" she said, enunciating the word as though she was a stage actress. She picked it up and began to peel it.

"And all the while, the real secret to happiness has been right here in front of us." Jerry continued.

She took a bite of her banana, sighing at how good it tasted. But then again, anything would have tasted good after eating the crap that was served at the bar mitzvah. She was suddenly aware of his hand in hers, slowly guiding her to the middle of the living room.

"Jerry, what are you doing?"

He squeezed her hand once more and gazed into her eyes. And then he dropped to one knee.

"Elaine-."

Suddenly the door opened.

"Jerry, I found a way to beat Lloyd Braun!" George exclaimed. He froze when he saw Jerry on one knee, holding Elaine's hand. "Jerry, what's wrong with your leg?"

"I'm asking Elaine to marry me." Jerry said, never taking his eyes off of hers.

She stared at him in disbelief, swallowing the rest of her banana in one gulp. "What? Jerry-."

"Oh-kay." George said. "Well, I'll just leave you too alone."

"Elaine, will you marry me?"

Jerry looked so sincere that Elaine's heart began to race. She'd seen that look before, years ago when they had been deeply in love. But now-

"So will you?" He pleaded.

She swallowed hard, feigning innocence. "Will I what?"

"Elaine Benes, will you be my wife?"

"Jerry, I really need to go… now… I'll… just... let myself out."

"I love-."

She slammed the door shut and stood in the hallway, her heart beating wildly. The man had gone completely insane. And there was no doubt about what he was saying as she left his apartment. It was completely ridiculous to even think that she would possibly consider marrying him-or that he would even consider asking her.

So why did she feel so happy?


	2. Chapter 2

In a daze, she hailed a taxi, unable to believe what had just happened. All of her life she had been waiting to hear those words; Will you marry me? She'd dreamt of it, time and time again. What woman hadn't? She wasn't a romantic by any means and God knows that she'd yet to meet a man who was even remotely worthy of spending the rest of her life with. Sure, she'd slept with a few… okay, more than a few, but that didn't mean she wanted to marry any of them. The mere thought made her sick. And it wasn't like anyone had even remotely expressed an interest in marrying her.

Until now.

"Look lady, are you going to tell me where you want to go or not?" The cab driver shouted. "This ain't a hotel, so give me an address or get out!"

"Don't talk to me like that!" She snapped. "I'm the one who says get out, you got that? I'm the one who-."Suddenly her mind was filled with all the times she'd said those words to Jerry, following her outburst with a playful shove against his strong chest. The chest that she longed to rest her head against when she was over at his apartment, watching a romantic movie and-

"I mean it lady! Get out before I call the cops!"

Elaine sneered at the cab driver and the climbed out of his cab, slamming the door angrily. "Jackass!" She yelled as he sped away. Damn him.

On foot, she made her way to her apartment, trying to fathom why Jerry would even think of asking her to marry him. It just didn't make sense. Sure, they got along great, but didn't all friends?

Forcing the ridiculous issue from her mind, she finally entered her apartment. She tossed her keys onto the counter and took off her shoes. God, it had been a long day. She was only too happy to sit in front of the television watching some lame movie that she could make fun of. But to her amazement, there wasn't a single bad movie on. How was that possible? There was always a bad movie on! Always! She and Jerry-

This had to be a conspiracy. Annoyed, she turned off the television and went into her bedroom. Well, with no bad movies on, there was only one thing to do; climb into bed.

Minutes later she was freshly showered, her damp hair clinging to the collar of her robe. As she climbed into bed and turned onto her side, she tried relentlessly to go to sleep. Maybe this day had been one insane dream. Or maybe Jerry's proposal was a joke. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd made a joke out of something. Everything was a joke to him. So why should this be any different?

But then she remembered the look on his face and the sincerity in his voice. There was no doubt that it was real. But why now? Why, when their friendship was comfortable did he choose now to propose? They told each other everything, even the details of their sex lives… with other people! How many friends could say that? Yep, that's what this was, a big joke. And she had to admit that it was pretty funny, proposing to a woman with a banana in her hand. And the look on George's face!

"Hilarious, Jerome!" she laughed as she turned out the light. "You've really outdone yourself this time!" Finally she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. But her dreams were filled with memories, so many memories. It was as though her entire relationship with Jerry was being played out before her eyes in the form of an admittedly wonderful dream. The kisses, the passion… the love.

He'd been there for her so many times, even when no one else was. She could count on him for anything. And the more she dreamt the more she realized that this beautiful, albeit unexpected and strange proposal had been sincere.

As she hugged her pillow to her chest, she smiled. This was the craziest thing she'd ever done, but what the hell? She could hardly wait to go over there and tell him her answer; the one he must have been agonizing over for hours. She could just picture him in his bed, tossing and turning, wondering what she would say.

If he only knew that there was only one way she could answer his question...

Yes.


	3. Chapter 3

When she woke the next morning, Elaine's heart was beating so rapidly that she could hardly breathe. It would be hours before she could see Jerry to tell him the news, prolonged by what was certain to be an exhausting day at work. How could she possibly be expected to work when there was a marriage proposal on the line? She considered calling in sick, but Peterman would have a fit. He might even fire her and that wouldn't be good at all.

She was about to become Mrs. Jerry Seinfeld and what good would she be if she didn't have a job? Marriages were about partnerships (or so she had heard), and although Jerry was destined to become a huge star someday, it wasn't fair to expect him to be the only bread-winner in the relationship. Wait, what was she thinking using the word breadwinner? What was this, a documentary?

With a sigh, she headed off to work.

Just as she suspected, work was pure hell. She could barely concentrate for thinking about Jerry. And it was made worse with Peterman pushing deadlines down her throat.

"Elaine, I want that proposal on my desk today before I leave! And that's an order!" He shouted, startling her with his booming voice. Her eyes widened at the stack of papers he'd shoved onto her desk.

Are you kidding me? There are at least two hundred pages here! I'll never get them finished in time! I can't possibly-."

He moved toward her, pressing his hands on her desk as he glared at her. "Then you can find another job, Benes!"

He walked off without another word but she had plenty of words for him. Most of which would get her fired in an instant. But she settled on one that was muttered under her breath. "Jackass…"

She stared at the stack of papers, having no idea where to begin. It was so daunting that it would take weeks to go through it. Jerry was sure to have some kind of sarcastic remark about Peterman or about the work she did for Pendant Publishing. He had a remark for everything and right now she could really use a laugh. Maybe if she could remember a few of his hilarious stand-up routines…

But all she could think of was how they used to be in love… so long ago. They were the perfect couple. They went on trips together; to the movies… those dates were her favorites, spending almost every weekend at the Majestic on 39th. They'd seen so many movies there; she couldn't even count them all. And through them all, their fingers were entwined, her head resting on his shoulder, trying not to laugh at the comments he made; especially if it was a really bad movie. And sometimes, they didn't watch the movie at all, choosing instead to wrap their arms around each other before kissing-

"Elaine! Earth to Elaine!"

She jumped at the unexpected voice of her co-worker Brenda and she glared at her so-called friend. "What? God, you don't have to scream!"

"Apparently I do! I've been trying to get your attention for twenty minutes! What's going on with you?"

"N-nothing! Why would you think-."

"You were thinking about that guy again, weren't you?"

Elaine felt her cheeks grow warm. "What guy?"

"What guy? What guy?" Brenda mocked. "What guy do you think I'm talking about? Rick, the guy you were talking about non-stop just last week! What a loser!"

Hurt, Elaine sighed deeply. "Well, we broke up, okay? So you don't have to worry about-."

"Well thank God for that!" Brenda said. "But it could have been worse. You could be dating that Jerry Seinfeld. He is just awful!"

"What's wrong with Jerry?"

"What's wrong with Jerry?" Brenda mocked once more.

"Must you repeat everything I say?" Elaine asked. "And what's wrong with Jerry?"

Brenda rolled her eyes. "God, Elaine don't get me started about Seinfeld! We'd be here all day!"

"Jerry's not so bad." Elaine said casually. She tried to sound convincing, but her heart conveyed otherwise. "I mean, he can be a jerk sometimes but then so can I!"

Brenda sighed with annoyance. "He's always a jerk, Elaine! Why are we even talking about him?"

She chose to ignore her friend's comment and smiled. "Actually there's something I need to tell you about him. Jerry and I are-."

"Elaine, you'd better get on that proposal if you know what's good for you!" Peterman yelled.

"I've got to get back to work." Elaine said, pretending to shuffle though the papers.

"What was it you wanted to tell me about Jerry? Let me guess… he dumped another woman for some stupid reason, right?"

"Um… never mind...it wasn't important." Elaine sighed.

"Of course it wasn't! Jerry Seinfeld couldn't possibly be important and anyone who would even consider marrying him is a complete idiot."

When Brenda was gone, Elaine returned her attention to her paperwork and smiled. "Well this idiot is about to become a fiancé, so take that and stuff it, Brenda!" she shouted to the closed door.


	4. Chapter 4

When she arrived home, Elaine quickly changed into a flowery dress, her white ankle socks and Botticelli shoes. She wasn't glamorous by any means, but she had to admit that she looked pretty damn good. She just hoped that Jerry thought so too.

Within minutes she had hailed a cab and was staring at Jerry's apartment building. A million questions raced through her mind. Was she doing the right thing? Was she crazy? Had she gone completely insane? Did she really love Jerry? Was she ready to spend the rest of her life with him? The questions went on and on, but as before, there was really only one collective answer…

Yes.

In the hallway, she stared at his door, smoothing the imaginary wrinkles from her dress. And without giving it another thought, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Her heart beat rapidly when she saw him. His back was to her and he was wearing jeans and a striped blue shirt. Even from the back he was handsome. If only she'd realized it sooner. But now she'd been given a second chance. She boldly walked inside.

"All right, Jerome. I'm in. Let's do it!"

He turned around in surprise. "What?"

"Maybe we should get married! Maybe everything we need is right here in front of us! I've been doing a lot of thinking about this and I finally understand why both of us have had such bad luck in the dating department! We're destined to be together!"

She watched him closely, her heart racing in anticipation of his answer. Would he take her in his arms and kiss her passionately? But instead he just stood there. And when she could take it no more she knew she had to say something. "So…. What do you think?"

His eyebrows rose and he tilted his head to one side. "I tell ya, Elaine. I don't see it happening. Look, I've gotta run for a few, but feel free to keep George company, okay?"

"What makes you think I need company?" George snapped. "I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"Is that so?" Jerry retorted.

The bickering went on and on but Elaine could no longer hear it. And when Jerry left, she was barely aware of the sound of the door closing. The only thing she could hear was the sound of her heart, shattering into pieces.


	5. Chapter 5

Woodenly she crossed the room to the sofa and sat down beside George, unable to believe…

"What happened?"

George only smiled. "You know… all these years I've always wanted the two of you to get back together."

She turned to him in surprise. "You have?"

"Yeah! You're perfect for each other!"

Oh God…

Without warning her mouth began to tremble and the tears she'd been holding in spilled down her cheeks. In one fluid motion, she rose from the sofa and grabbed her purse.

"Wait! Where are you going?" George yelled.

"I-I have to go. Goodbye, George."

"Elaine, wait!"

But she slammed the door and headed for the stairs, taking them as fast as she could. The tears were falling even faster and she could barely see as she raced outside and hailed a taxi. The driver came to a screeching halt and she quickly climbed inside.

"Where to, lady?" he asked in a thick New York accent.

She sighed deeply, wishing that he could drive her right off of a cliff. How could she have been so stupid? She should have known that the so-called proposal was a joke.

Jerry made jokes about everything! And the worst of it was that she really, really wanted to marry him! How pathetic was that?

"Look lady, I haven't got all day, now where to?" the driver snapped.

"Um… the Majestic on 39th." She stammered.

"Finally, an answer!" the driver said in a tone that was even more sarcastic than Jerry's.

She barely had time to grab onto the door handle when the taxi sped off, leaving her grasping the fake leather seat for dear life. And in practically no time at all they came to a screeching halt in front of the theatre.

She paid the driver and he drove away, leaving her alone in front of the bright lights of the marque. She'd been here hundreds of times before, with Jerry, George and Kramer but she would always remember it as the place where she and Jerry spent their weekends. Now it seemed like the perfect place to drown her sorrows.

She scanned the list of movies, deciding on the worst movie she could find; a buddy comedy starring Ben Affleck and Ben Stiller, aptly named Ben and Ben. She wasn't two minutes into the movie when she knew that it would be the worst movie she'd ever seen. But she realized that if Jerry were here, she could be sitting here beside him, making jokes about how horrible it really was.

The acting was bad, really bad and worlds away from even a Razzie, the awards given to the worst movies and worst actresses. But as she watched the horrible movie and ate handfuls of popcorn, she began to cry. And once the tears started, they would not stop.


	6. Chapter 6

Jerry opened the door of his apartment and looked around in surprise. "Where's Elaine?"

George, who was still sitting on the sofa, staring at the television shrugged, "I dunno. She just left."

"What do you mean she just left? What happened?"

"Well, let's see… she came in, said you two were perfect for each other..."

"Yeah, and?"

"Well you were there, you heard her, didn't you? If I'm not mistaken, she said yes to your marriage proposal!"

Jerry's mouth fell open. "My marriage proposal? But I never-."

George laughed. "Ho-yes you did, buddy boy! You got down on one knee and asked her to marry you!"

Jerry ran his hand through his thick hair in disbelief. "Oh my God, I did, didn't I?"

"You sure did, Seinfeld! And she accepted!" George exclaimed. "Isn't that great?"

"No, it's not great, George! Can't you see that?"

"What's the problem? You're the one who proposed!"

"But I didn't mean it, George! I was still upset over breaking up with Patty! Elaine and I would make a terrible couple!"

"Well, from the way she ran out of here crying, that's not what she thinks!" George replied.

"Oh my God, she was crying?"

"Sobbing hysterically! I tell ya, Jerry, it was an Academy-Award winning performance!"

"Oh my God!" Jerry said again, unable to believe what he'd done.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I guess I'll have to find her and explain."

"Yeah, good luck with that!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know Elaine, her head's so thick that it's hard to explain anything to her!"

"Don't talk about her like that!" Jerry snapped. And then seeing George's stunned look, Jerry sighed deeply. "Just… don't talk about her in that manner, all right? She's not bad, she's… look, I've gotta go find her so lock up when you leave, huh?"

"Sure, Jer."

Jerry slammed the door and raced downstairs where he hailed a cab. He'd had to find her but he had no idea where to look. He'd had women run out on him before, hundreds of women, but he'd never bothered to go looking for one. Where did women go when they were upset? And suddenly he knew…

Of course! Why didn't he think about it before?


	7. Chapter 7

"Where to, Mister?" The cab driver barked when he brought the cab to a screeching halt.

"The Majestic on 39th, and step on it!" Jerry ordered.

"Sure thing!"

The driver sped away from the curb and Jerry couldn't help but worry about Elaine. What in the hell was going on? He'd never worried about a woman before; especially Elaine. She could take care of herself. But if what George said was the truth, then maybe Elaine wanted Jerry to take care of her. Maybe-

"We're here, Mister!" the driver snapped.

Jerry had been in hundreds of taxis all over New York City and he'd never understood why they had such terrible personalities. Must be something in the water fountains at the taxi headquarters. What other explanation could there be? Whatever it was, he got plenty of laughs out of it. He remembered a show he did at the Poindexter Hotel in New Jersey years ago when he was just starting out. Elaine and George came and he was grateful for their support. But it was Elaine who laughed harder than anyone. She was always the one who-

"Mister, are you going to get out of my cab or do I have to throw you out?" The driver shouted.

"All right, all right, keep your shirt on!" Jerry bellowed, reluctantly paying the driver. He climbed out of the taxi and slammed the door, sneering at the driver's perturbed look as the taxi zoomed away.

"I hope you get a flat tire!" Jerry yelled into the darkness. What was with him tonight? Did he care that much about some jerk taxi driver that he felt the need to comment on the jerk's future? Jerry was still shaking his head as he walked to the theatre box office.

He stood under the marque scanning the list of movies that were playing. Unbelievably there wasn't one title that he could make fun of and it made it harder for him to choose. What would Elaine want to see? Well, he'd just have to take his chances and pick one. He certainly couldn't stay here all night.

"One please." He said to the kid in the booth, handing over the money.

"Enjoy the show, sir!" The kid said, much too enthusiastically. Obviously this kid wasn't an avid movie watcher.

Jerry walked into the theatre, silently praying that Elaine was there. He had twelve chances to fine her, so he'd better make them count. He looked in every theatre, catching glimpses of an animated blockbuster, a sappy romantic drama, a nineties western (who does that, anyway?), a horror film that would surely send his mother to an early grave, a sci-fi movie that must have been the hundredth installment in the Star Trek/Star Wars series (who the hell could keep up?), and four other movies that had no rhyme or reason whatsoever. He walked down every aisle, hissing Elaine's name. And subsequently he was pelted with unknown objects, for which he was very grateful for the darkness.

Finally he came to the last theatre, where a movie called Ben and Ben was playing. It was loud, crass and just the type of movie that Elaine loathed. There was no way she'd be in here. She'd die before she watched a movie like this.

If only he knew how wrong he was…


	8. Chapter 8

"ELAINE!" Jerry whispered loudly, ignoring the shushes and head –turns of the sparse audience. To his amazement he found her, sitting in the darkest corner of the theatre, in the last row… crying her eyes out! It just didn't make sense. Elaine hardly ever cried.

Slowly he slipped into the row and pulled the worn velvet seat down to sit beside her. "Elaine, what are you doing?" He whispered.

"Watching a movie, what do you think?" She replied.

"Well, what I think is that you're crying. But what I can't figure out is why."

She sniffled and he wished he had a handkerchief to hand her, the way the men did in those old movies. Now those were some classy guys; Cary Grant, Laurence Olivier, Gregory Peck, William-

"This is the saddest thing I've ever seen in my life!" Elaine sobbed.

He turned his attention to the screen and then back to her, unable to believe what she'd said. Something was definitely wrong. What was going on in front of him could hardly be called acting. It was just begging to be made fun of, but he didn't dare.

"You're crying over Ben and Ben? This is a car chase movie!"

"I-I know!" Elaine sobbed.

Strangely his heart softened and he took her arm. "Come on…"

She turned to him, her beautiful face softly illuminated by the flickering screen that was showing the worst movie ever made.

"I don't know…" She said quietly.

"Just come on. I'll pay you back for the movie, okay? I really think we need to talk."

With a sigh she rose from the seat and took his hand. Together they left the theatre and walked into the lobby. Instantly he became nervous. He'd never had a heart to heart talk with a woman before, not even Elaine. The closest they ever came was when they agreed to be friends after breaking up all those years ago. What the hell was he going to say to her? He couldn't be honest. Honesty never worked.

As he was contemplating what he was going to say, she walked away from him, pretending to find interest in The Crazy Ones, a coming soon movie starring two unknown actors that was sure to last about five seconds before it dug itself into the deepest hole imaginable.

But Elaine wasn't fooling anyone, especially him. Her back was turned and her hand was over her mouth. She was crying… and he had no one to blame but himself.


	9. Chapter 9

Elaine knew he was standing behind her, who else would stand here watching her pathetic display of emotion?

"You're not pathetic."

Stunned she turned around to find that she was right. There he was looking directly at her. But how could he have possibly…

"What?"

"I know what you're thinking and you're wrong. You're not pathetic, Elaine. You're just…"

"What? Stupid, crazy, idiotic, senseless…. You can stop me anytime now, Jer… out of my mind, and a complete moron for thinking that you actually…."

Jerry shoved his hand through his hair. "Yeah… about that, Elaine. I…"

"You don't have to explain, Jerry. I know you didn't mean it anyway. I just thought…"

"Thought what?"

She sighed deeply. "Well… after I left your apartment, after you asked me to…. marry you, I couldn't stop thinking about you and I thought that maybe somehow, maybe…"

Jerry walked the length of the lobby, glancing with annoyance at the posters of movie actors who were at that moment better men than he'd ever be.

"God, Elaine… I can't believe I'm an idiot! I should have never-."

"I'm the idiot, Jerry!" Elaine cried. "I thought you loved me and wanted to marry me! I mean, it's ridiculous because we're totally wrong for each other, but that's what makes us so perfect for each other! But I was stupid to think-."

"No, Elaine... it's not stupid." Jerry said quietly.

Surprised, she raised her gaze to meet his. "Jerry, what are you saying?"

"I'm trying to say that I'm sorry, Elaine. I was so freaked out over breaking up with Patty that I couldn't help myself. But I never dreamed you'd take my proposal seriously. You never take anything I say seriously!"

"I know, but this was different, Jerry! For the first time in my life, or at least since before we broke up, I felt loved and I just…" Pathetically, her voice broke and she began to sob, unleashing the tears that she'd thought were finally gone. She turned away, not wanting Jerry to see her like this, for he'd surely think that she was psychotic.

But then she felt his arms embrace her from behind; his voice whispering into her hair. "Elaine, Elaine… it's all right…"

Still sobbing, she turned to find herself in his warm, strong embrace. It had been so long since he'd held her like this, and if she were completely honest with herself, he'd never held her like this. It was warm, comforting and oh so wonderful. She cried into his blue striped shirt while he held her close, his fingers entwined in her hair. And when she had no tears left, she slowly drew back.

"God what is wrong with me, tonight? I have no idea where that came from!"

Jerry grinned. "Me neither, but you put on a heck of a show. Too bad we didn't think to sell tickets. But you know what? I deserved it."

"Jer, no…"

He took her hands and lowered himself to one knee, staring into her eyes. And the sight stunned her.

"Jerry, what are you doing?"

"Elaine, I know I wasn't the best boyfriend, and I'm not even a very good friend. But do you think we could maybe… start over?"

"Wh-what are you saying?"

He smiled and squeezed her hands. "Elaine Benes, would you do me the honor of not marrying me?"

She couldn't help but laugh through her tears.

"We can date all you want, and we can even pretend that we're married, but-."

She leaned down and kissed him tenderly, aware of the whistles and applause from the concession workers, patrons, ushers and ticket-takers who were gathered around them.

"So is that a yes?" He grinned.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" she said, kissing him in between each word. "Yes, Jerry I won't marry you!"

While the on-lookers mumbled in obvious confusion, she hugged Jerry tightly. "Thank you, Jerry."

After a long moment he let go and she brushed the tears from her cheeks. "I guess I should go. I've been here way too long."

"Actually I was thinking…"

"Oh no Jerry, not again!" She quipped.

"That Ben and Ben movie was pretty bad, wasn't it?"

Elaine laughed out loud. "Oh God, the worst!"

"Exactly! Which is why I think we need to go in there and watch it again? It's much too horrible a film to let our jokes and sarcastic comments go to waste! It's a golden opportunity, if you know what I mean!"

She leaned against his strong shoulder and they walked back into the theatre, where the movie had long since ended. Another one was certain to start soon. They were bound to laugh for hours about the terrible acting and even worse dialogue and screen play. But she didn't care.

She didn't plan on watching the movie that much anyway. She'd rather watch Jerry instead. The man she agreed not to marry in what could be the most unusual proposal ever. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

THE END


End file.
